Tag Archives: State Department

The Kansas City Star reports: President Donald Trump has appointed Gov. Sam Brownback to an ambassadorship, a little more than a month after the Kansas governor saw his signature tax policy dismantled by the state’s Legislature. Trump announced Brownback’s appointment as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Wednesday evening. Brownback had long been expected to be named to the post. “Religious …

Business Insider reports: Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman, surprised reporters on Tuesday by saying Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was “taking a little time off.” When asked about the discrepancies between Tillerson’s public schedule and his reported movements, and why the department hadn’t updated the press on his whereabouts, Nauert said Tillerson “does have the ability to go away …

CNN reports: Among those who viewed the President’s public rebuke of Sessions as unprofessional, according to several sources, is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon-Mobil CEO. Tillerson has a growing list of differences with the White House, including a new debate over Iran policy and personnel. His frustration is hardly a secret and it has spilled out publicly …

The Associated Press reports: U.S. officials say the Trump administration will ban American citizens from traveling to North Korea following the death of university student Otto Warmbier who passed away after falling into a coma into a North Korean prison. The officials said Friday that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had decided to impose “geographic travel restriction” for North Korea, …

From the far-right Trump ballwashing site Newsmax: Foreign affairs commentator Richard Grenell is set to be nominated by President Donald Trump as U.S. ambassador to Germany, a White House source confirmed to Newsmax. Grenell, who was the longest-serving U.S. spokesman at the United Nations during the George W. Bush administration, has been an international news analyst on Fox News and …

Swampity! The Washington Examiner reports: President Trump officially announced his intent to nominate New York Jets owner Woody Johnson to be ambassador to the United Kingdom. The White House confirmed the news Thursday night in a press release. If approved by the Senate, Johnson would be taking over one of the top American diplomatic posts. He contributed millions of dollars …

Via press release from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: In recognition of LGBTI Month, the Department of State affirms its solidarity with the human rights defenders and civil society organizations working around the world to uphold the fundamental freedoms of LGBTI persons to live with dignity and freedom. We also recognize that LGBTI persons continue to face the threat of …

Paging Tony Perkins. Via the Washington Blade: A State Department spokesperson on Friday said embassies and consulates have received guidance that allows them to recognize Pride month. “Advancing the human rights of vulnerable groups including LGBTI persons is a core component of U.S. foreign policy,” the spokesperson told the Washington Blade. “All people should be protected from discrimination and violence, …

The Hill reports: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday said the U.S. government has taken responsibility for leaks about the investigation into Monday’s terror attack in Manchester, England. “We take full responsibility for that and we obviously regret that that happened,” Tillerson said, appearing alongside British foreign secretary Boris Johnson in London. The British government reportedly resumed intelligence sharing …

Via press release from hate group leader Tony Perkins: Yesterday, the U.S. Embassy in Macedonia posted this on Twitter: “We’re flying the rainbow flag today to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, & Biphobia.” This kind of activism is hardly likely to endear our country to the Macedonians. The former Yugoslav republic is facing a political crisis in the …

J. Lester Feder reports at Buzzfeed: The United States has declined visas to gay Chechens fleeing a wave of kidnappings, torture, and disappearances in the semi-autonomous Russian region, according to the organization Russia LGBT Network. A group of around 40 Chechens are now in hiding in other parts of Russia, Russia LGBT Network spokesperson Svetlana Zakharova told BuzzFeed News, and …

Talking Points Memo reports: The State Department on Monday removed a blog post promoting President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida following criticism from ethics advocates and Democrats, and questions from reporters. The post boasting Mar-A-Lago as the “Winter White House” was posted to the State Department’s ShareAmerica website and had also been posted by the U.S. embassies in the …

USA Today reports: An article about Mar-a-lago started making the Twitter rounds Monday afternoon after users — including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. — noticed that it was appearing on the official website for the U.S. embassy in London. But where did it come from? The post, which describes the Trump property as the “winter White House” and details …

The Daily Beast reports: Fox & Friends news anchor Heather Nauert was officially announced Monday as the next spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department. Mark Toner, a holdover from the Obama administration, was relieved of his duties. “Heather’s media experience and long interest in international affairs will be invaluable as she conveys the Administration’s foreign policy priorities to the American …

Reuters reports: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received compensation worth $27.4 million last year when he was chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s largest publicly traded oil producer, regulatory filings showed on Thursday. He and other senior executives got raises even though Exxon’s net income fell more than 50 percent in 2016 as the company, like many …

Via press release: The Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus denounced reports of hundreds gay men being arrested, detained, and tortured in Chechnya, an autonomous, predominantly Muslim subject of Russia. Additional reports indicate that several of the detained individuals have been murdered in custody. On April 10th 2017, Representatives Cicilline and Lowenthal led a bipartisan letter of 50 Members of Congress urging …

The New York Times reports: After Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson waited for much of the day, wondering whether he would get to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin, the two men sat down at the Kremlin late Wednesday afternoon in the first face-to-face meeting between the Russian leader and a top official in the Trump administration. Relations between …

Yesterday the State Department called on Russia to investigate reports that Chechen police are rounding up and murdering gay men. Tonight the State Department has issued a second statement: We are increasingly concerned about the situation in the Republic of Chechnya, where there have been numerous credible reports indicating the detention of at least 100 men on the basis of …

J. Lester Feder reports at Buzzfeed: The US State Department has called on Russia to investigate reports that more than 100 LGBT people have recently been detained, tortured, or murdered in the region of Chechnya. “We urge the Russian government to conduct an independent and credible investigation into the alleged killings and mass arrests, and hold the perpetrators responsible,” a …

Or else…what? The Associated Press reports: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned NATO allies Friday to boost defense spending or come up with plans to reach the alliance’s budget guidelines within two months. Tillerson, in his first talks with NATO counterparts in Brussels, said that Washington is spending a “disproportionate share” on defense compared with its 27 partners, and …